List of Kings of the
Belgians

Title

The proper title of the Belgian monarch is King of the
Belgians rather than "King of Belgium". The title "King of
the Belgians" indicates a popular monarchy linked to the people
of Belgium, whereas the former would indicate standard constitutional or absolute
monarchy linked to territory and a state. Similarly, Queen Mary
I (of Scotland) is referred to as "Queen of Scots" rather than
"Queen of Scotland". In 1830 King Louis Philippe was
proclaimed "King of the French" rather than the traditional "King of
France". The now abolished Greek monarchy similarly was titled
"King of the Hellenes", indicating a personal link with the people, not just the state.
Moreover, the Latin translation
of "King of Belgium" would have been Rex Belgii, which
from 1815 was the name for the King of the
Netherlands. Therefore, the Belgian separatists chose
Rex Belgarum.

Belgium is the only current European monarchy that does not
apply the tradition of the new monarch automatically ascending the
throne upon the death or abdication of the former monarch.
According to the Belgian
constitution, the monarch accedes to the throne only upon
taking a constitutional oath. For example, the present king did not
become monarch on July 31, 1993 (the day his brother died) but on
August 9, 1993 (when he took the constitutional oath). In all other
present European monarchies, the monarch assumes the title the
moment the predecessor dies or abdicates. The Belgian
constitutional oath is as follows: "I swear to observe the Constitution and the laws of
the Belgian people, to maintain the national independence and the
integrity of the territory.", which must be taken in the three
official languages of Belgium.

Belgium has three official languages, of which Dutch and French are the
most widely spoken. Members of the royal family are often known by
two names: a Dutch and a French one. For example, the current
heir-apparent is called Philippe in French and Filip in Dutch; the
fifth King of the Belgians was Baudouin in French and Boudewijn in
Dutch; the three kings who are known as Léopold in French are known
as Leopold (without accent) in Dutch.

In German, which is Belgium's third
official language, monarchs are usually referred to by their French
names. The same is true for English (with the exception of
Leopold, where the accent is removed for the purpose of
simplicity).

In French-speaking Belgium, the monarch is designated by an
ordinal number except when he or she is the only monarch of that
name to date. Thus, King Baudouin has no ordinal and must not be
designated as Baudouin I, but only
Baudouin.

Constitutional role

Busts of the previous Kings of the Belgians

The Belgian monarchy combines several public and political
missions. On the one hand, the king symbolises and maintains a
feeling of national unity by representing the country in public
functions and international meetings.

In addition, the monarch has a number of responsibilities in the
process of the formation of the Government. The procedure usually
begins with the nomination of the “Informateur” by the
monarch. After the general election the Informateur officially
informs the monarch of the main political formations which may be
available for governance. After this phase, the monarch can appoint
another "informateur" or appoint a “Formateur”, who will have the charge of
forming a new government, of which he/she generally becomes the
Prime Minister.

The Belgian Constitution entrusts
the monarch with federal executive powers. The monarch has the
power to appoint and dismiss ministers, is responsible for the
implementation of the laws passed by the Federal Parliament, may
submit bills to the Federal Parliament and manages international
relations. The monarch sanctions and promulgates all laws passed by
Parliament. In accordance with Article 106 of the Belgian
Constitution, the monarch cannot act alone without the
countersignature of the responsible minister, who in doing so
assumes political responsibility for the action. This means that
federal executive power is exercised in practice by the Federal
Government, which is accountable to the Chamber of
Representatives in accordance with Article 101 of the
Constitution.

The monarch receives the prime minister at the Palace of
Brussels at least once a week, and also regularly calls other
members of the government to the palace in order to discuss
political matters. During these meetings, the monarch has the right
to be informed of proposed governmental policies, the right to
advise, and the right to warn the government on any matter as the
monarch sees fit. The monarch also holds meetings with the leaders
of all the major political parties as well as with regular members
of parliament. All of these meetings are organised by the monarch's
personal Political Cabinet (not to be confused with the Cabinet of
ministers) which is part of the Royal Household.

The monarch is the Commander-in-Chief of the Belgian Armed
Forces and makes appointments to the higher officer positions. The
names of the nominees are sent to the monarch by the Ministry of
Defence. The monarch's military duties are carried out with the
help of the Military Household which is headed by a General
officer. King Leopold III was the last Belgian King to take
personal command of the army in the field; this was during World
War II.

Finally, Belgians can write to the monarch when they meet
difficulties with administrative powers.

The monarch is also one of the three components of the federal
legislative power, in accordance with the Belgian Constitution,
together with the two chambers of the Federal Parliament: the Chamber of
Representatives and the Senate. All laws passed by the Federal
Parliament must be signed and promulgated by the monarch.

Inviolability

Article 88 of the Belgian Constitution provides
that "the King's person is inviolable, his ministers are
responsible". This means that the King cannot be prosecuted,
arrested or convicted of crimes, that he cannot be summoned to
appear before a civil court and that he is not accountable to the
Federal Parliament. This
inviolability was deemed incompatible with Article 27 of the Rome
Statute of the International Criminal
Court which states that official capacity shall not exempt a
person from criminal responsibility under the Statute.[1]

Royal
Household

The King's Household (Dutch: Het Huis van de Koning, French: La Maison du Roi, German: Das Haus des Königs) in
Belgium at present consists of seven autonomous departments and the
Court's Steering Committee. This is the result of a reorganisation
of the King's Household that took place in 2006, when the office of
Grand Marshal of the Court and the Department of the Grand Marshal
of the Court were abolished and replaced with the Department for
Economic, Social and Cultural Affairs and the Department of the
Protocol of the Court. Two other departments were established as
part of this reorganisation: the Department for Foreign Relations
and the Department of Petitions. Another result of the
reorganisation was the establishment of a Steering Committee,
consisting of the Heads of Department of the King's Household.

Each Head of Department is responsible for his department and is
accountable to the King.

The following departments currently make up the King's
Household:

the Department for Economic, Social and Cultural Affairs

the King's Cabinet

the King's Military Household

the King's Civil List

the Department for Foreign Relations

the Department of the Protocol of the Court

the Department of Petitions

The King's Chief of Cabinet is responsible for dealing with
political and administrative matters and for maintaining the
relations with the government and the political, trade union and
industrial circles. He assists the King in keeping track of the
political current affairs and informs the King of the national
political, economic and social life. He proposes and prepares the
King's political audiences, assists the King in preparing speeches
and informs the King about developments in international politics.
The Chief of Cabinet is assisted by the Deputy Chief of Cabinet and
Legal Adviser, the Press Adviser and the Archivist. The incumbent
Chief of Cabinet is Jacques van Ypersele de
Strihou, who is reportedly sometimes referred to as viceroy, Richelieu
or Rasputin.[2]

The Head of the King's Military Household assists the King in
fulfilling his duties in the field of defence. He informs the King
about the international security situation, the national security
and defence policy, the views of Belgium's main partner countries
and international organisations, and the situation, resources,
operation and missions of the Belgian Armed Forces and foreign
Armed Forces. He also organises the King's contacts with the Armed
Forces, advises the King in the fields of scientific research and
police services and prepares activities in these fields, and
handles relations and coordinates activities with patriotic
associations and former service personnel. The Military Household
is also responsible for managing the Palace's computer system. The
Head of the Military Household is a General Officer,
currently General Jef Van den put. He is assisted by
the Adviser of the Military Household, currently Lieutenant-ColonelAviator Serge Vassart. The King's Aides-de-Camp and the King's Equerries are also attached to
the Military Household.

The King's Aides-de-Camp are senior officers or generals,
currently ten, chosen by the monarch and charged with carrying out
certain tasks on his behalf, such as representing him at events or
ceremonies he is unable to attend. The King's Equerries are young
officers chosen by the monarch who take turns at working full-time
for the King for a whole week. In principle, there are six officers
who perform this role in turns. The King's Equerry is at the
service of the monarch 24 hours a day. He prepares the King's
activities, informs him about all the aspects that may be important
to him and tries to facilitate his task by providing various
services. It is in principle the King's Equerry who receives his
visitors and guests, and who announces them. The Equerry also
accompanies the King during his trips, both within the country and
abroad, except for certain activities of a strictly private nature.
In the latter case, he is on duty around the clock at the Castle of
the Belvédère, the King's private residence.

The Intendant of the King's Civil List is responsible for
managing the material, financial and human resources of the King's
Household. He is assisted by the Commandant of the Royal Palaces,
the Treasurer of the King's Civil List and the Civil List Adviser.
The Intendant of the Civil List also advises the King in the field
of energy, sciences and culture and administers the King's hunting
rights. The Commandant of the Royal Palaces is mainly in charge, in
close cooperation with the Chief of Protocol, of the logistic
support of activities and the maintenance and cleaning of the
Palaces, Castles and Residences. He is also Director of the Royal
Hunts.

The Chief of Protocol of the Court heads the Department of the
Protocol of the Court and is charged with organising and carrying
out the public engagements of the King and the Queen, such as
audiences, receptions and official meals at the Palace, as well as
formal activities outside of the Palace. He is assisted by the
Queen's Secretary, who is mainly responsible for proposing and
preparing the Queen's audiences and visits. The incumbent Chief of
Protocol of the Court is Vice-Admiral Pierre
Warnauts.

The Head of the Department for Economic, Social and Cultural
Affairs advises the King in the economic, social and cultural
fields. He is also responsible for providing coordination between
the various Households and Services and for organising and minuting
the meetings of the Steering Committee. The Head of the Department
for Foreign Relations informs the King of developments in
international policy, assists the King from a diplomatic viewpoint
on royal visits abroad and prepares the King's audiences in the
international field. He is also responsible for maintaining
contacts with foreign diplomatic missions. The Head of the
Department of Petitions is charged with processing petitions and
requests for social aid addressed the King, the Queen or other
members of the Royal Family. He is also responsible for the
analysis and coordination of royal favours and activities relating
to jubilees, and advises the King in the fields for which he is
responsible.

For the personal protection of the King and the Royal Family, as
well as for the surveillance of the royal estates, the Belgian Federal Police at all times
provides a Security Detail to the Royal Palace, commanded by a
Chief Police Commissioner.

There are currently two other Households at the Belgian Court:
the Household of Her Majesty Queen Fabiola and the Household of
Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Brabant. The other
members of the Royal Family have a Service at their disposal.

Members of the Royal Family hold the title Prince (Princess) of
Belgium with the style of Royal Highness. Prior to World War I they used
the additional titles Prince (Princess) of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
and Duke (Duchess) of Saxony as members of the House of
Wettin. The children and husband of Princess Astrid would not
be entitled to these titles as they belong to a different agnatic
line, the House of Habsburg-Lorraine-Este.

Prince
Laurent of Belgium (born October 19, 1963). He married Claire Coombs, an
Anglo-Belgian former real-estate agent, on April 12, 2003. She was
created HRH Princess Claire of Belgium 11 days before their
marriage. They have one daughter and two sons: